Life Decisions…

I’m not an expert. I am simply a young adult trying to make it in this life. Here are a few things that I’ve learned along the way.

1. It’s OK to disappoint people

Who doesn’t want to please everyone? When I was younger, I was so worried about what others thought. Sure, I still care what they think to a certain extent. but you truly cannot please everyone. And when it comes down to it, it’s your life. You have to do what feels right for you, and make your own judgement. The ones who care will understand and respect it, everyone else’s opinion is irrelevant.

2. Decisions are essential

When I was little, my biggest decision was, did I want white or chocolate milk with my lunch? Did I want tomato or chicken noodle soup? Now, things are a lot different. We must choose where we work, Who we date. What we are working towards and what we ultimately want in life. It can be scary. But as difficult as it can be, we have to make hard decisions and deal with the consequences. It isn’t always pretty, but hey, it’s life.

3. No one wants to help you

OK, this isn’t completely true. Your parents, your boyfriend/girlfriend, your friends want to help you. But your cell phone company doesn’t want to help you find the best deal. The bank that handles your student loans doesn’t want to lower your monthly payment because they don’t care if it’s too much. They all just want money! You have to understand (and I learned this) that you can’t expect everyone else to help you and bow down. You have to fight for what you need and want. And you can’t give up. You’re responsible for your own life.

4. Feeling sorry for yourself helps nothing

Whining, complaining, ranting–it can all be therapeutic to get some of those frustrations off your chest. But that’s about all it’s good for. You can throw yourself a pity party (as I’ve done plenty)…but it won’t get you anywhere. If your goal is to get something accomplished, suck it up, and deal with reality instead of what’s fair and unfair. The world is not going to magically change to meet your demands.

5. Forgive yourself

When you’re a kid, you never expect adults to be wrong, but they can be. No one is perfect. You’re going to mess up. You’re going to say things you don’t mean. You’re going to be in debt. You’re going to slack off and not be productive. Don’t beat yourself up. Realize you’re not perfect and apologize when you’re wrong. If you’re honestly sorry, then learn from your mistakes but don’t dwell on them. Otherwise you will be surrounded with only negative feelings.

Every day is a new adventure and a lesson learned. Here’s to many more days and many more lessons to be learned.